MADISON, Wis.--What was the first thing Barry Alvarez did after Bret Bielema, his hand-picked successor as University of Wisconsin football coach, told him he was taking the job at Arkansas?

"I started contacting people on my short list, to find those who I'd identified to see if there was interest in our coaching position," the University of Wisconsin athletic director told Wall Street Journal Business of Celebrity host Lee Hawkins in an exclusive video interview released Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Although Alvarez began making calls quickly after Bielema moved on, he cautioned that he would take his time when deciding on a new coach.

"I'm not going to be a in a big rush because it's a very important decision," Alvarez said. "I'm going to make sure it's the right decision."

Alvarez agreed to the interview with Hawkins, a UW grad and former Wisconsin State Journal employee, while attending a function Monday night in New York City and met with him Wednesday.

In the interim, Bielema had surprised Alvarez and the UW community by bolting for a six-year deal at Arkansas that will pay him $3.2 million annually -- a half-million dollars more than he drew this year from UW.

Alvarez said he was informed of Bielema's decision after the fact, at a noontime meeting Tuesday. Hawkins asked whether Alvarez attempted to make a counteroffer.

"I asked him, is your mind made up? Have you made a decision? And he said, 'Yes,'" Alvarez recalled.

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"I'm sure he put a lot of thought into it, he and his wife -- weighed a lot of things and felt it was the best (move) for him. There was no need for me to counter."

At his introductory press conference Wednesday in Arkansas, Bielema acknowledged being wary of Alvarez's influence and didn't want to leave him any wiggle room.

"Coach Alvarez is a very persuasive individual," Bielema said. "Before I went and saw him, I knew what I was doing and had to do."

Although Bielema has come under criticism as UW struggled to a 7-5 mark in the regular season, Alvarez defended Bielema's body of work, which includes a 68-24 overall record in seven seasons and three straight Big Ten championships, and three Rose Bowl berths.

"Bret won a lot of games. He's had a lot of success," Alvarez said. "You can scrutinize a lot of things about any coach. I've been through it enough to know we did enough good things to win a lot of games ... I have no qualms with Bret's performance on the field."

Alvarez declined to name any of the candidates on his "short list," but a source close to the UW athletic department said that Alvarez has been in contact with Boise State coach Chris Petersen and an interview could come as soon as Monday.

There is a lot of grass-roots support for Madison native Paul Chryst, the former UW offensive coordinator who is in his first year as head coach at Pitt.

Also, multiple sources close to the program also identified Miami (Fla.) coach Al Golden and Pitt offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, who was a UW assistant through last season and played on Alvarez's team that won the 1994 Rose Bowl, as potential candidates.

"My first inclination is to hire someone who's an acting head coach, someone with experience, someone who would fit our position," Alvarez said. "I wouldn't interview anyone who didn't have a good track record in football, but there are other factors that come into play. They have to understand our culture, and how we win at Wisconsin -- who we are -- and be able to carry that forward."